TCM Five Elements

Traditional Chinese medicine’s five elements theory is helpful to interpret the connection between the physiology and pathology of the human body and the natural environment.

Great Five phases or elements

The great five elements are; wood, fire, earth, metal and water. The five elements theory is helpful to interpret the connection between the physiology and pathology of the human body and the natural environment.  The five elements are in constant movement and change, and the interdependence and mutual restraint of these five elements clarifies the complex connection between material objects as well as the unity between the human body and the natural world.

The five elements emerged from an observation of the various groups of dynamic processes, functions and characteristics observed in the natural world. The aspects involved in each of the five elements are follows:

Five element characterization and classification

• Wood is characterized as germination, extension, softness, harmony, flexibility, etc.
• Fire is characterized as draught, heat, flaring, ascendance, movement, etc.
• Earth is characterized as growing, changing, nourishing, producing, etc.
• Metal is characterized as strength, firmness, killing, cutting, cleaning up, etc.
• Water is characterized as moisture, cold, descending, flowing, etc.

It is then concluded that anything with that defined characteristics should be included in to the corresponding category of the element.

Relation between Five elements

Between the five elements there exists close relationships that can be classified as;

• Mutual promoting and mutual restraining under physiological conditions, by mutually promoting and restraining, functions of the various systems are coordinated and homeostasis maintained.
• Mutual encroaching and mutual violating under pathological conditions, by encroaching and violating, pathological changes can be explained and complications predicted.

Mutual promoting five elements

Order of mutual promoting among the five elements is that wood promotes fire, fire promotes earth, earth promotes metal, metal promotes water and water generates wood. Thus each of the five elements has mutual circular promoting relationship with the other continue endlessly.

Mutual restraining five elements

Order of mutual restraining among the five elements is that metal restrains wood, wood restrains earth, earth restrains water, water restrains fire and fire restrains metal. Each of the five elements also shares this restraining relationship with the other.

Mutual promoting and mutual restraining are coexistence and cannot be separated. If there is no promoting, means no birth and growth. If there is no restraining, means no change and development for maintaining normal harmonious relations. Thus the growth and development or change of all things exists through this mutual promoting and restraining relationships. These relationships are the fundamental of the circulation of natural elements.

Encroaching and violating are the pathological conditions of the general mutual promoting and restraining relationships. Encroaching indicates that the restraining of one of the five elements to another exceeds the normal level, while violating indicates that one of the five elements restrains the other opposite to the normal mutual restraining order.

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